"Mr. Perfectly Fine"[a] is a song by the American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift from her firstre-recorded album,Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021). It is one of the album's "From the Vault" tracks that was intended for but excluded from her second studio album,Fearless (2008). The song was released for limited-timedownload via Swift's website on April 7, 2021. She wrote "Mr. Perfectly Fine" in 2008, a track that incorporateswordplay and sees the narrator's heartbreak and fallout with a lover she presumed was the ideal figure for her.
Produced by Swift andJack Antonoff, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" has an upbeat andmidtempo production and acoustic instrumental. Critics described its genre aspop rock andcountry pop. They gave the song generally positive reviews, deeming it a classic from Swift and an example of her growth as a musician. It has been highly ranked among her "From the Vault" tracks. Commercially, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" peaked at number 30 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number 19 on theBillboard Global 200. It reached the top 50 in several countries and receivedcertifications in Australia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Swift performed the song during thePittsburgh andToronto concerts of herEras Tour (2023–2024).
After signing a new contract withRepublic Records,Taylor Swift beganre-recording her first six studio albums in November 2020.[2][3] The decision followed apublic dispute in 2019 between Swift and the talent managerScooter Braun, who acquiredBig Machine Records, including themasters of her albums which the label had released.[3][4] By re-recording the albums, Swift had full ownership of the new masters, which enabled her to control the licensing of her songs forcommercial use and therefore substituted the Big Machine–owned masters.[5]
On February 11, 2021, Swift announced the first of her re-recorded albums,Fearless (Taylor's Version), a re-recording of her second studio albumFearless (2008).[6] In addition to re-recordings of the original album's tracks,Fearless (Taylor's Version) contained six previously unreleased "From the Vault" tracks, which are songs written for the original album that did not make the cut.[6][7] Swift explained that these songs were left out ofFearless for various reasons and that including them on the re-recorded album proved that "the artist is the only one who really knows that body of work".[8] One such song was "Mr. Perfectly Fine", which Swift wrote in 2008, but she ultimately excluded it from the final track-list.[9]
On April 4, 2021, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" was confirmed to be one of the "From the Vault" tracks after Swift teased it in a clip containing the title in scrambledanagram the day before.[10] The song was released fordownload via Swift's website on April 7.[11][12] It was the third song issued preceding the release ofFearless (Taylor's Version), following "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" and "You All Over Me".[13] The song is listed as track number 22 on the album, which came out on April 9, 2021.[12] In the following weeks, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" was featured on theFearless (Taylor's Version)-themed streaming compilationsThe Halfway Out the Door Chapter[14] andThe From the Vault Chapter.[15] On June 16, 2023, Swift performed the track at aPittsburgh show as part of herEras Tour (2023–2024).[16] She sang it again as part of amashup with "Red" in Milan on July 14, 2024 and "Better than Revenge" (2010) at aToronto show of the tour on November 21.[16]
An acousticpop rock andcountry pop song, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" featureswordplay that differentiates the narrator's turbulent emotions from her ex-lover's indifference.
"Mr. Perfectly Fine" has an upbeat andmidtempo production with an acoustic instrumental.[17][18]NME,[19]Spin,[20] andThe Telegraph categorized the song as apop rock tune,[21] whileAmerican Songwriter[13] andThe New Yorker wrote that it featured a "pop-country" production.[22] Other publications believed that the song waspop.[b] Several critics commented that it combined or evoked styles ofcountry, pop, androck. InRolling Stone, Claire Shaffer wrote that the track mixed country and pop with elements of rock.[27]The Line of Best Fit's Horton Ross said that it featured a little bit of both country androck and roll.[28] Lipshutz stated that the song had similarities withFearless andSpeak Now (2010), highlighting the country pop-styled drums.[23] ForThe Independent, Alexandra Pollard thought it evoked "late-Noughties country-pop".[29] Jordan Moreau fromVariety said the song recalled the country pop aesthetic ofFearless.[30]
In the lyrics, a narrator experiences heartbreak after a fallout with a lover she thought was the ideal figure for her. The song useswordplay with the ex-lover addressed as "mister" while the narrator is labeled as "miss". The firstverse recounts the ex-lover's seemingly perfect personality: "Mr. perfect face. Mr. here to stay. Mr. look me in the eye and told me you would never go away".[27][30][31] The wordplay is also utilized to describe the contrasting emotions between the two characters. In thechorus, the narrator recalls the tumultuous feelings the former lover gave her ("I've been Miss Misery since your goodbye") and displays him as indifferent to the situation ("And you're Mr. 'Perfectly fine").[27][30][32] Later in the song, she discovers that he has a new lover and tries to ignore it, but she ultimately says that he will miss her and be too late when he realizes.[18] The lyrics also included the line "casually cruel", which many critics noted to be the second time Swift has used it, after the song "All Too Well" (2012).[c]
Many critics considered "Mr. Perfectly Fine" a classic track from Swift and attributed it to the songwriting and production.[d] A few thought that the song revived the scornful side of Swift.[e] Zoe Haylock ofVulture wrote that it was "a 2008 time capsule".[41] Curto said that the song is one of the more "cheekier takes" of Swift's breakup tracks and believed that the "lyrical formula that could be cheesy in someone else's hands" created its well-made catchiness.[26] Lipshutz wrote that the track "[pays] homage to some of Swift's grandest breakup songs".[23] In less enthusiastic reviews,The Telegraph's journalistNeil McCormick felt that it was a bit "too aggressive for [Swift's] teenage image",[21] and Jonathan Keefe ofSlant Magazine thought the song's use of the "casually cruel" line was inferior compared to how it was utilized on "All Too Well".[42]
Some critics deemed "Mr. Perfectly Fine" reminiscent of the originalFearless but with Swift's growth as a musician. Harbon stated that it was "a perfect collaboration between her old and new self" that blends her early songwriting with the more complex compositions from her indie works.[24] Crone thought the song "reflects [Swift's] roots" with an evolved musicianship.[13]Kitty Empire ofThe Guardian believed that it had the "brighter, more direct songcraft" ofFearless that complements the "watercolor production" of her albumFolklore (2020).[39] Also fromThe Guardian,Alexis Petridis thought the song took "new resonances" and highlighted the "relish" in Swift's voice expressed a satisfaction that mitigates her anger.[43]
Other reviewers only focused on the track's content. Hannah Mylrea ofNME deemed it a "bop" laden with "swooning melodies and typically Swiftian lyrics".[19] Bobby Olivier fromSpin wrote that the song is "deviously addictive" and believed that the music evoked "the best ofKelly Clarkson andShania Twain" and the subject matter refreshing.[20] Mikael Wood of theLos Angeles Times considered the song to have sharp-witted lyrics.[44]Variety's Chris Willman thought it contained a "sheer zipiness" in its theme of "teen heartbreak".[31] Dani Blum ofPitchfork called the song a "delightful, strumming takedown"[45] and Jess Cohen fromE! News opined that the lyrics "don't disappoint".[33] In a mid-year list of the 50 best songs of 2021 by aBillboard staff, where "Mr. Perfectly Fine" was featured, they commended the sharp lyrics and catchy production and viewed the song as "vintage Taylor Swift that still feels fresh in 2021."[46]
Critics have included "Mr. Perfectly Fine" in their lists of Swift's "From the Vault" tracks. It was ranked among her ten best vault tracks by Lipshutz,[47] Jack Viswanath ofBustle,[48]Nylon,[49]Time,[36] and Josh Kurp ofUproxx.[50] Viswanath lauded the song as one of the "most clever, witty, and catchy songs Swift has ever written".[48]Time wrote that it was "Swift at her best, enraged, snarky, and not for a moment taking herself too seriously".[36] Kurp, along withRolling Stone'sRob Sheffield, believed that the song proved that its exclusion from the original album was not because it wasn't good enough.[50][51]
With 14.2 million streams, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" reached atop the USBillboard Country Streaming Songs and marked Swift's fifth number-one entry.[53][54] The song rose to its peak of number two onHot Country Songs from its opening week at number 30 and became her 26th top-10 chart entry. The song along with 18 tracks fromFearless (Taylor's Version) extended her record of the most entries in one week, surpassing her own 12 with the albumRed (2012).[55][54] On the overallBillboard Hot 100, "Mr. Perfectly Fine" climbed and peaked at number 30, when it began at number 90. The song became Swift's 80th top-40 entry on the chart and extended her record for the most top-40 entries among women.[56][54] It peaked at number 11 on theRolling Stone Top 100 when it garnered 12.7 million streams and sold 106,800 units.[57]
